Suh bullish on Lions' future

Melinda Waldrop, mwaldrop@dailypress.com | 247-4634

When Ndamukong Suh is able to get back to work, he expects to encounter a positive, winning attitude — in Detroit.

"No question there's optimism there," said Suh, the Lions' second-year tackle who was named The Associated Press defensive rookie of the year after making 66 tackles and recording 10 sacks in his first NFL season. "I think the fight and the want-to is there, from not only the athletes but the fans, and I think we all think we can get it done."

The Lions are among the NFL's most moribund franchises, with just 18 wins in the past five seasons and three years removed from 2008's 0-16 debacle. Those struggles, though, have allowed Detroit to garner top players with high draft picks — receiver Calvin Johnson in 2007, quarterback Matthew Stafford in 2009 and Suh, the 2009 AP college player of the year after making 85 tackles as a senior at Nebraska, in 2010 — and that young, talented nucleus fuels Suh's optimism.

"We have a great group of guys. We have myself, Calvin, (fourth-year defensive end) Cliff (Avril), (second-year running back) Jahvid Best, Matthew Stafford," Suh said. "We've got a great group of guys, on the offensive and defensive side. It's just a matter of us all staying healthy and making sure we're on the field and can produce."

That didn't happen in 2010, when Stafford played in just three games because of problems with his right throwing shoulder and the Lions went 6-10. Suh also battled a shoulder injury, missing the Pro Bowl, and both players had surgery in January.

Healthy now, and looking to be in top shape at William and Mary's Colonial All-Pro football camp on Monday, Suh is also excited about a defensive line that features 11-year veteran Kyle Vanden Bosch and 2011 first-round draft pick Nick Fairley, who had 11 1/2 sacks and 24 tackles for loss for national champion Auburn last season.

"I think we have the best defensive line on paper, but paper doesn't mean anything," Suh said. "It's coming to the games and proving that we're the best players and we can get it done. (Fairley) is a great addition. He's a guy who seems to want to work hard and he wants to help our team get to where we want to be, so it will be exciting when we get into camp finally."

Suh took part in player-organized workouts earlier this month and said his teammates were also in good condition, but said the ongoing NFL lockout is costing the team valuable time together.

"(Player workouts) will only do so much," Suh said. "You still need your coaches there. You still need the schemes that you want to put in for the year. We're going to be a little bit behind, but as a professional, you learn how to cope with those things and pick up speed. I had to learn at a very fast pace coming in as a rookie. I had to go through all those things the veteran guys go through, so it's the same situation — a little bit more intense."

Suh, 6-foot-4 and 307 pounds, exhorted young campers doing pushups on Monday, biceps bulging under his sleeveless shirt. He's been working out with Nebraska's training staff, and said, "I definitely feel like if I had to step on the field right now, I could play. … This has been a great opportunity for us to rest and take care of our bodies. At the same, we do want to be on the field. We want to go through OTAs (organized team activities). We want to be prepared for the next season."

It's a season in which Suh fully expects to win more often.

"It's just a matter of coming together as a unit and getting it done," Suh said. "The sky's the limit for us."